Undercover
by AllAboutTheWriting
Summary: [Oneshot, alternate plot of “Starved”.] When Olivia takes her undercover case with Mike Jergens too far, will her partner be able to save her in time?
1. Part One

**Undercover**

Summary-One-shot, alternate plot of "Starved". When Olivia takes her undercover case with Mike Jergens too far, will her partner be able to save her in time?

All right, as the summary says, this is just a one-shot, different version of the episode "Starved." This is just how I thought the episode should have gone. Not many spoilers, but you should see the episode before reading this or it won't make much sense. Now, since NBC and Wolf just can't seem to get it right, I suppose I'll have to show 'em how it's done. ;)  
--I've had this on the back burners since the eppy aired, so... I finally dug it up and wanted to at least post part of it now, while I'm finishing the end.--

**Disclaimer –** Before I start, I just wanna make sure everyone understands that everything I know about this equipment and technology could be written on the head of a pin. Everything about the cameras, voice recorders, things like that, were just made up based on what I've seen on TV and have been slightly tweaked to accommodate my story. Without further ado, here's…

**Undercover**

"There he is." Sitting in the driver's seat, Fin softly smacked Elliot's shoulder with the back of his hand. The action grabbed his attention, and he glanced up to see the shrouded figure of Mike Jergens heading towards Olivia's apartment building, only a few minutes after she'd gone inside herself. The two detectives were staked out across the street, just waiting for the rapist to carry out his profile. A few minutes ago, Fin had watched as Olivia executed the date perfectly to plan. She'd entertained the controlling jerk for a good hour before completely rejecting him and leaving the bar.

Elliot picked up the high-tech night vision camera in his lap and stared through the eye piece. Gripping the extended lens between his forefinger and thumb, he adjusted the zoom until he had Jergens in focus. A few clicks of the shutter and he had enough evidence to use to establish the perp's routine of stalking his victims. Lowering the camera back down, he continued to watch as Jergens managed to slip inside the building.

"We gonna go bring him in?" Fin's gaze impatiently shifted back and forth from Elliot to Jergens. He wasn't a laidback, content-with-freezing-his-ass-off-in-a car-for-hours kind of cop. His thrills were earned through chasing perps around sidewalks and through alleys until that gratifying feeling of being able to slap a pair of cuffs on the guy.

Pursing his lips together in deliberation, Elliot finally shook his head. "Nah, let's not. Not yet." His eyes scanned over the window of Olivia's apartment for any sign of foul play or that things were array. Everything appeared silent as a soft glow suddenly began to illuminate through the curtains.

"But what if he attacks her?" The detective tried to inquire without letting his concern truly show through his "tough" front as he flipped the car heater on.

Somewhat relaxing back in his chair, though keeping both eyes glued to the building, Elliot shook his head again. "This guy sticks to his pattern. He follows them home, stalks them for a couple days, and then attacks them late at night. He'd never screw up all his calculations and planning by hurting her now; it's not his MO." As the building door opened and Jergens quietly came out, Elliot released the breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding. "Besides, if we want to nail him, we have to get more than him following her home. In court it'd be circumstantial at best."

Fin rubbed his gloved hands together to warm them as he shot his transitory partner for this case a puzzled and skeptical stare. "So we gonna use Liv as a guinea pig? Wait until he attacks her too?"

Elliot twisted around to glare at him in irritation for a moment before glancing down and producing his cell phone from his coat pocket. "Well, we were gonna use Munch, but we didn't figure he was really Jergens' type." Holding the phone with only one hand, he expertly flipped it open with the flick of his thumb. "Anyway," he shrugged, his fingers adroitly maneuvering over the number pad, "it was her idea. She practically had to sell her soul to Cragen so that he'd let her go through with it." He became quiet as he slid the phone up to his ear.

Sighing, Fin uncrossed his arms and turned the key in the ignition. "Still sounds like a bad idea. Who you calling?" Fin nodded towards the phone with his head, clutching the automatic shift in his hand. He couldn't help but roll his eyes when Elliot shrugged and answered.

"Liv, to fill her in."

--X--x--X--

Olivia couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable as her apartment, mainly her bedroom, swarmed with people. Among the crowd was Elliot, Fin, Munch, Cragen, and a mixture of lab tech guys. It had been two days after her date with Jergens and tonight was the predestined night. Their whole case came down to how this evening played out.

If the group of people traipsing throughout her bedroom hadn't made this seem real, the huge knots in her stomach reassured her that it was. Olivia was basically setting herself up for a rapist to attack her in her own apartment, something not all the training in the world could really prepare her for.

"All right people, let's go over this again!" Cragen appeared in front of the doorway to her bedroom and waved a hand in the air, his face set seriously as he beckoned for everyone to gather around him. Olivia discreetly rolled her eyes and took a spot next to the Captain. The team had already been over the plan to the point that they could repeat Cragen's words in their sleep. Their lack of patience was evident as a chorus of grumbling erupted throughout the room.

Munch, who was standing across the room next to Fin and was part of the popular consensus, broke through the noise first. "Captain, we've been over this about twenty times already," he informed him with obvious annoyance.

Cragen's expression remained undaunted as he shot a glare towards his detective. "Well, then this is number twenty-one," he simply replied, gazing over the weary faces in front of him. "We're going over this until I'm positive that you all have this down without question." He motioned next to him at Olivia with an open palm. "I am not putting one of my best detectives in the path of a serial rapist if there's even a _chance_ that things could go wrong. We've gotta be a well-oiled machine here folks, so if even one of you is shaky on their part, I'm calling this whole thing off. Got it?" His eyes moved around, eventually locking onto every other pair in the room to convey the gravity of his words as he expectantly waited for an answer. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, most heads nodded and a few people mumbled their understanding. "Good. Now, let's review."

Still slightly flustered from Cragen's speech and referring to her as "one of my best detectives," Olivia cleared her throat and started. "Now we know from his other victims that Jergens usually comes about two or three in the morning, so we're assuming he's going to do the same for Rachel." Maneuvering around a few people, she walked over to the side of her bed. She glanced at it momentarily before looking back up at her audience and clasping her hands together. "So I'll be here," she pointed at the bed with her two forefingers, the gesture unintentionally mocking a gun, "waiting for him to break in and attack me."

"All of which," a computer technician stepped forward, "cameras will catch on video." Starting at the front, he made his way throughout the room, showing each mini video camera they'd installed that day. "This one here," he pointed towards the bookcase on the wall that faced the door, "will get a clear shot of the guy entering the doorway." His finger traced an imaginary line of the camera angle. Continuing, the next one was positioned above the window. "That covers the entire bed area," he explained, not wanting to go into much more details of what it would tape. The third and final camera was mounted on Olivia's headboard. "The one here is set up so that when the guy is on his hands and knees on the bed, it'll get a perfect view of his face. It's also set to record sound, just in case the hair clip doesn't work."

"What hair clip?" Fin wondered, crossing his arms as he heard about this for the first time.

The man haughtily grinned and began shuffled through his coat. "This one." He produced a gold barrette from his pocket, a big, pink butterfly bonded to one end. A grin formed on Olivia's mouth as she accepted it from him.

She held it up with a curious expression as she looked at the guy and tried not to laugh. "Pink butterflies?"

His proud expression turned into embarrassment as his face fell and his cheeks grew red. "It was my daughter's," he weakly justified as the detective grinned and slipped the clip into her brunette hair. "Anyway, there's a small voice recorder inside the end that will pick up noise from up to three yards away and transmit it to the same feed as the cameras."

Elliot jumped in next, moving so that he was standing to the side of Olivia. "Then Fin, Munch, and I will be just outside the building in an unmarked van, picking up all the feeds from the equipment. After Jergens breaks in to attack Olivia, we'll be able to get up here before anything happens."

"And just for my own 'peace of mind,'" Olivia quoted one of the lab technicians as she held up a small device resembling a hearing aid, "the guys and I can talk back and forth through this. I'll be able to hear them through this when they talk into the radio," she pointed towards the radio clipped to Elliot's hip, "and they can hear me through the pretty pink butterfly clip." She grinned, unable to stop herself from getting in one last jab about the barrette.

"All right," Cragen nodded approvingly. "Anything else before the final show tonight?"

"Just one," John spoke up. "Novak stressed that we can't bust Jergens during the attack until we're sure we have everything we need to indict."

The Captain nodded in understanding and glanced over to Olivia. "I get it, but it's up to Olivia." Folding his arms, he spoke to her. "It's your call, Detective. Elliot, John, and Fin are under orders not to make a move until you say so." His appearance turned gravely stern as he locked his eyes onto hers. "But listen to me when I say I don't want any heroics from you. I refuse to let you put yourself on the line just to nail this guy. If you think you're in danger, even if you're just uncomfortable with things, I want you to call them, understood?"

Despite the somberness with which he spoke, Olivia felt the smallest smile creep across her face. The way he was practically scolding her, it was almost fatherly. It just showed her how much he really cared about well-being and, of course, how well he knew her. The entire night she'd been contemplating just how far to let the set-up go. Right, just how far should she let the guy get to raping her before she called Elliot and the guys in? She found her head subconsciously shaking in astonishment as she thought that when she'd signed up for "cop" on career day, she had no idea that this is what the job would one day entail. Even so, Olivia knew that she had no choice if she really wanted to lock this guy up behind bars for the rest of his miserable life so that he couldn't ever violate another woman.

"Captain," Elliot's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see him talking to Cragen. "It's almost one thirty. Since we don't know if he stalks his victims the night he attacks them, he might get suspicious if he sees us here."

Don nodded in agreement before turning towards Olivia. "So, ready to go?" By the tone of his question, she knew what he was really trying to say. He was attempting to offer a final chance to back out, call the entire thing off.

She just nodded and gave a reassuring smile. "Ready as I'll ever be."

--X--x--X--

"Testing, one two. I repeat, testing, one two. Can you hear me now?" Olivia walked over to her bed, rolling her eyes as she heard Elliot's voice coming from her earpiece. It was nearing two o'clock and she had just changed into her pajamas, a light blue camisole and fleece pants.

"Yeah smart-ass," she answered to an empty room, feeling slightly strange doing so. "Loud and clear." The three men were set up in the van just across the street. Just in case things went south, Olivia had plenty of backup as Cragen and a few other uniforms were also scattered around the building.

"Hey, don't roll your eyes at me," his voice lightheartedly scolded her and she could almost hear his smile. The sudden remark about her appearance slightly startled her until she realized she was standing directly in front of the camera above her window. Repressing the urge to flip him off, she walked over and switched off the lights.

"Ha," she retorted, dexterously gilding around furniture as she walked back to her bed. "Bet you can't see me now." Not waiting for an answer, she tossed down her comforter and sheets so that she could slide in between them. Olivia tried to ignore the nagging feeling of being watched as she yanked the blanket up over her chest.

"You'd be surprised what a night vision lens can pick up." Elliot intentionally added a note of suggestion to his voice, solely for immature purpose of trying to disturb her.

Olivia caught on to him and decided to change the subject with an air of humor. "Speaking of creeps, any sign of Myers yet?" She couldn't help but feel anxious as she awaited the impending doom of tonight.

After a few minutes of silence in her ear piece, Elliot came back on. "Nope, all clear."

"Great," she sighed, finding herself picking at her fingernails. It was a nervous habit she'd had since childhood, but it rarely sprang up on her as an adult. Forcing her hands still, she decided to try talking to Elliot to calm her nerves. "Remind me again why I decided to do this?"

There wasn't even a moment of hesitation before Elliot replied, "Because that's who you are. You want to stop the bastard from preying on anymore innocent victims." He voice became lighter with the next sentence. "And because Munch and Fin refused to wear the dresses and wonder bras to go undercover." Olivia quietly chuckled, suddenly hearing profane protests being shouted at her partner.

Fin's voice seemed to be moving closer towards the radio as he spoke. "Don't bring us into your sick games just 'cause you're bored. And I'm cutting you off the radio. Man, how in the hell you work with this guy everyday?" Olivia had to stifle another laugh as Fin started talking to her with Elliot's insulted objections in the background. "It's only been a couple a hours and already I'd choose Munch's government theories over him in a second."

"To know him is to love him," she sighed, hiding her humor in an attempt to make her tone appear serious.

"_Ah_… 'kay." Understanding seemed to wash over Fin and she could practically see his grin on the other end as he took her words literally. "I gotcha."

"Go to hell," Olivia ordered with a roll of her eyes and a hint of humor in her tone. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"It ain't whatcha meant, girl; it's whatcha said." The sounds of Munch's laughter and Elliot's mortified denial were distant in the background, but clearly audible.

"And I say _screw__you_. Why do we have this communications setup? For my _peace of mind_, was it?" Adjusting the clip in her hair, she shuffled around in her bed and attempted to find a comfortable spot.

"Hate ta break it to ya, but there ain't no such thing as peace of mind in this job." Sinking her head deeper into her pillow, a sigh escaped Olivia as she clutched her blankets to her chest.

"Yeah, I know." The uncertainty in her tone was clear to Fin and sweeping a glance around at the faces with him in the van, he decided to give Olivia a final out.

"Ya know, you don't hafta do this Olivia. Ya can still back down." Hearing the sincerity and concern in his offer, Olivia considered it. And she knew if she was anybody else, it may have taken her longer than the split second it did for her to turn it down.

"No, I can't. There is no way in hell I'm letting this bastard off for what he did to those women. I'm doing this," she insisted resolutely, though still feeling no better about the decision.

"Ha!" Elliot remarked triumphantly and took back the radio from Fin. "Didn't I bet you that she wouldn't back down?"

"Bet?" Olivia seemed slightly offended by his statement. "You bet on me? Whether or not I'd actually go through with this?"

"No," he hurriedly insisted, knowing what her reaction to such a thing would be. "I just told them that you'd never back out of this, just 'cause I know you that well." He grinned boyishly, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

Olivia laughed at Elliot's tone as he spoke. "Yeah, I guess you do."

--X--x--X--

About an hour later, Elliot had turned off the microphone to give both ends a break and an exhausted silence had fallen over the detectives. Munch was the only one actually sleeping though. He was awkwardly sitting up in one of the chairs in the back of the van, his head propped against his bundled-up jacket. Fin and Elliot were faring little better, despite the coffee cups that haphazardly littered the floor.

Elliot's eyes were blurry and bloodshot, as his eyes hadn't left the screen since the beginning of the stakeout. If there's one thing that never left his mind at work, it was his partner's safety. He wasn't sure if his protectiveness was due merely to the fact that they were partners, or if it was something else. Maybe it was the fact she was a woman and he'd always been taught to protect the women in his life. Or maybe, and it would never admit it to a soul, especially Olivia, it was about her past and history.

She'd been so hurt by the circumstances that lead her to SVU, a rapist for a father and an abusive, alcoholic mother, that he didn't want there to be anymore pain in her life. They were best friends and he'd sacrifice himself in a heartbeat for her. So there was no way that he was going to let this sonofabitch Jergens get his hands on her. Even if it meant downing a hundred cups of coffee before the night's end.

"Hey Fin." Elliot smacked his lips together sleepily and could still taste mint on his breath. _Mint-flavored cappuccino,_ he recalled in disgust as he wrinkled his nose. It had been John's way of getting back at him and Fin for sending him out on the last refreshment break.

"Hmm?" The detective mumbled and wearily glanced up at him.

"Feel like making another coffee run? Staring at these screens is totally draining." He watched Fin suddenly yawn and he raised his eyebrow in response. "Doesn't look like it'd hurt you either."

"Yeah," he nodded in agreement, running his hands over his face. As he stood up, he caught a glance at Munch from the corner of his eye. "And it wouldn't hurt his bony ass either." Fin went over and grabbed a fistful of John's shirt in his hand. "Rise and shine," he ordered with the gentleness of a drill sergeant as he shook the slumbering detective awake.

"Huh? Wha…" He groaned incoherently as his eyes squinted open.

"It's called a _look-out_, not a _sleep-out_. Get up." Fin's voice was impassive as he tugged at John's shirt again.

By now, Munch was as awake as he was ever going to be at almost four in the morning. His eyes were still blinking as he rubbed them with his fists and waited for them to adjust to the light in the van, only supplied by the glowing TV screens.

"What!" He finally demanded angrily, glaring up at his partner. He was not normally one to be crossed when he first woke up. Fin, however, didn't seem to give a damn at this moment.

"Coffee run, and I'm dragging your bony ass with me."

Elliot watched with slight amusement as John continued to grumble, but reluctantly slipped on his coat anyway. He was relieved for the silence when the two finally hopped out of the van and left.

With no other distractions, he decided to see how Liv was doing. He picked up the microphone and switched it on. Glancing at the monitor that got the feed from the camera that gave a straight view of Olivia in her bed, he realized that her eyes were closed. He grinned and softly spoke into the mic.

"Now, we're not asleep, are we?"

"Right," her voice snapped back without hesitation. "I'm moments away from knowingly allowing a serial rapist to break into my apartment to attack me, and I have the peace of mind to fall asleep."

Elliot heard the dripping sarcasm in her voice and couldn't help but chuckle at her. "I guess I'll take that as a _no_, then?"

"Gee, ya think?" She replied, pathetically trying to stifle a yawn. "So there's still no sign of him?"

"Nope. We've got look-outs on all the entries into your building and they haven't seen anyone."

Back in her apartment, Olivia's brows furrowed in concern. "What if he doesn't come?" She finally wondered aloud.

"Everything we know about the guy and his MO says he's gonna do this tonight. Why wouldn't he show?"

As Olivia lay in the unusually menacing darkness of her bedroom, a million what-ifs instantly came to mind to answer her question. She immediately, though, decided to keep them to herself. The guys were already worried about her and she didn't want anyone to think that she couldn't handle it. "But something could happen, and there's no guarantee he'll show."

"Well," Elliot paused," if he doesn't, then I guess we'll do this all over again tomorrow."

Olivia just replied with a sigh and rolled over on her side. "Wonderful thought," she muttered. "So we only have about what now, two hours of video of me just lying in bed?"

"It's not all bad," Elliot offered up. "I mean, you can always sell it. I'm sure some guys would pay good money to see that." She heard the mischief in his voice and had to suppress a chuckle.

"You mean like you?" she teased back.

"Who needs to pay? I'm getting the view for free." The mixture of caffeine in his system, the tired giddiness he felt, and his joke, caused Elliot to burst into laughter.

Upon hearing this, Olivia, who was equally giddy because of the nerves she felt, started giggling at him. "Stabler," she finally commented, "you're horrible." With another chuckle, she grabbed the edge of her bed spread and pulled it over her head, completely blocking her from any camera's view.

"Oh, real nice Li-" Before Elliot could finish, Olivia heard a car door open, followed by the angry shouts of Munch and Fin.

"I think you should probably get that," she suggested.

"Easier said than done," Elliot sighed, clicking off the mic.

As the silence completely settled in around Olivia, it unexpectedly occurred to her how comfortable she was. Snuggling her head against the pillows, she yawned sleepily. Ignoring the fact that her blanket was still over her head, she turned over and rested on her back. Letting her eyelids droop shut, sleep over-came her in a matter of seconds.

"Man, screw you!" Fin irately whipped his hand around and the bag he was holding escaped his grip and flew across the van, smacking against the side.

"Hey! Don't get all mad at me when you're the one that brought it up!" Munch shouted back, thrusting the coffee cups he was holding into Elliot's hands.

Elliot winced as the scalding liquid splashed out and dripped onto his hand. He put the down in the nearest place and held his mouth over the burned area in order to get the coffee off and somewhat ease the pain. While he was doing that, he watched as they continued their heated argument.

"I may have brought it up," Fin countered," but I damn sure didn't put those words in your mouth." The two detectives were slowly advancing towards each other as each took a step forward when they spoke.

"It is _just_ my opinion!" Munch barked, tossing up his hands in the air. "No, you know what? It's not even my opinion anymore; it's what I _used_ to think."

"Yeah?" Fin challenged, now just a little over a foot away from him. "Well, how about this? Next time you have a thought," he spat mockingly, "let it go!"

"Fine, then the next time you have the brilliant idea to pester me about something, you can let it go too!"

"Oh, trust me, had I known you were such a homophobe I wouldn't have even brought it up!"

By now, their faces, both turning a beating red, were so close together that Elliot probably couldn't have stuck his hand between the two, even if he wanted to. He'd had these kinds of fallouts with Olivia before and he knew from personal experience that it was best to just sit back and let them fight it out, only intervening if it got physical.

"Yeah, well you wanna know what you are?" John fired back, angrier than either of the two detectives had ever seen.

"Oh, enlighten me," he responded sarcastically.

"You're a damn hypocrite! I mean, all this coming from a guy who didn't talk to his son for weeks after he found out he was gay?"

Though Fin first had an expression like that of just being punched in the stomach, he quickly recovered, as did his fury. "Oh, I _know_ you didn't just bring my kid into this!" He quickly moved like he was going to attack John, and Elliot immediately flew into action.

"Hey, hey!" He jumped between the two and yelled, cutting off whatever Munch was about to say. "That's enough!" Elliot ordered, putting his hands on Fin's shoulders, who, in turn, shoved them off and continued to glare at his partner. "Both of you, take some time out," he commanded again, painfully aware of the fact that he was sounding like Cragen. "You," he looked at Fin, "go outside and cool off, and you," he looked at Munch, "go up front and do the same."

After the two passed another glower between each other, they were about to walk away when something caught Elliot's ear.

"Wait," he stopped them. "Do you hear that?" He listened closer and realized it sounded like muffled cries.

"_Elliot_!" Out of nowhere, Olivia's shrill cry suddenly pierced through the silence.

All three men instantaneously whipped around to face the monitors. Horror filled them as they noticed a shrouded figure lying in top of the squirming Olivia.

"Sonofa…" Fin had barely opened his mouth by the time Elliot had already jumped out of the van and taken off running.

--X--x--X--

Muhahaha! A cliffhanger, aren't I mean:P

Anyway, I just wanted to take this time to announce, I'm ba-ack! ) Well, kind of. :S

(If you don't remember/know me, I wrote the stories, "Betrayal in the First Degree" and it's sequel, "The Heart Won't Lie". If that means nothing to you, I've been gone logner than I thought, eep:S)

Actually, I need advice. Well, more... story suggestions than anything. I've exhausted myself with unwritten ideas and their plot lines, so much so that I can't think of anything anymore. So, a lot of people said they couldn't wait to see me back (I heart my reviewers! ), so I offer them a challange. If you want me back, gimme some story ideas that you want to see! XD I'll do almost anything at this point. Except slash. I don't do that. (As I've heard one writer on here put it, I don't think any guy in SVU would let anything pokey near his butt. XD lol. And same for fem-slash stories.) (Oh, and as much as I would like to continue a series with THWL, I'm sorry, but that ship has sailed. I've carried out the story about three years further in my mind, but I just _can't_ force myself to write it all out. :X)

It's not _just_ that I'm idea-less. Also, I write for you readers, so I want to know what you'd like to see. :) So... erm... now's the time when you push that lil' blue button and lemme know what you're thinking, m'kay? I'll take anything. XD


	2. Part Two

Hmm, maybe I should have mentioned that it was a one-shot with two chapters:X

Anyway, thanks for the reviews! **I heart you all!** :D (Uh, even the one that said… What was it? "Write more damnit!"? Lol, ;) I love it!)

obsessedwithstabler-Ah, Elliot getting shot. I think I have the perfect idea for that. --evil grin-- Next story, just you wait. ;) And, oh yeah, Fault was the best eppy ever! So, your story is gonna be based on ESP between EO? I'll be looking for that!   
TiggPwns-I've never seen OZ. Buut, I have an icon with Meloni on it, wearing a bikini, and I'm pretty sure it's from that show, so I'd definitely like to see it one of these days. XD

**A.N.**-Regarding the slash thing, I only said I don't write that because I never have before. I love my gay people, (Every single male friend I have is gay, lol.), but I would do it absolutely no justice. I don't do good with hookups/romance genres. Eh, it took 200 plus reviews to get me to do an EO plotline. :P

--Pooh, I forgot the first two sections when I first uploaded the chap. This is the right one.--

**Undercover Pt. 2  
**

The adrenaline coursed through his veins as he stepped into Rachael's bedroom. He'd already made all the necessary precautions, and now was the big moment. He'd been wound up all day in anticipation of this.

Granted, every one of those little bitches he'd put in her place was exhilarating, but he had a feeling that this one would be even better. She seemed to be the most strong-headed, strong-willed person he'd ever come across. Just thinking about how horribly he was going to shatter that spirit brought a gleeful grin to his face.

As he silently snuck up next to the bed, a puzzled expression crossed his face when he didn't see her at first. Looking closer, he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that she's just covered herself completely with the bed spread. _Hmm…_ he thought to himself. _Wonder what she's hiding from?_

Pushing those thoughts aside, he held his breath and leaned closer towards the bed. Gently grasping the edge of the blanket, he lifted it up and peeled it back.

_Wow,_ he mused, genuinely impressed, _she even looks dazzling when she's asleep._ His lips twisted into an evil smirk. _Perfect._ Just as he was about to make his move, the glint of something in her hair caught his eye. Craning his neck, he studied the object until he realized what it was. It was a barrette, and a childish one at that. A pink butterfly adorned the top, like something a little five year old girl would wear.

Amused, he had to bite back a chuckle. _Who would have thought such a powerful business woman would have such a thing?_ Grasping the plastic between his fingers, he gently pulled it from her hair and pocketed it, taking it as a souvenir to give to his "girlfriend" so that he could remember this night.

His next moves he performed with lightning-fast precision. He gathered up the corners of every other blanket covering her and ripped them away, tossing them on the floor. Then, just as she began to stir, he pounced. Pressing his gloved hand over her mouth, he crawled on top of her so that his shins were over her legs, pinning them down.

Rachael's eyes instantly flew open and stared at him in shock, fear, and confusion, just as the others always did.

He leaned forward and put his face close to hers. "Obey me, or die."

--X--x--X--

As Olivia was snapped out of her slumber, the first thing she was aware of was the pair of eyes staring into hers. Fear shot through her veins as she instantly understood what had happened. She must have fallen asleep long enough for Jergens to sneak in. But how in the hell had he gotten past the guards and the cameras set up by the guys?

However, considering the situation she was it, the events that had led up to it were the least of Olivia's concern. She had somehow managed to repress her instinct to scream, but her innate reaction to the weight on top of her kicked into gear and she began thrashing wildly. Her legs were all but paralyzed as she felt his knees digging into her thighs and she crudely aimed her flailing arms towards his head.

Jergens was temporarily caught off guard, as none of the other women had ever fought him before, but he got over it quickly as he felt her hand connect solidly against the side of his head. Grunting in pain, he used his free hand to fight back. He brought his arm back, curled his hand into a fist, and pummeled it against her jaw. Olivia let out a wounded shriek, but it came out as a mere muffle underneath Jergens' glove.

"Bitch! I said _obey_ me!" He increased the weight on the arm that was covering her mouth, sending shooting pains through her already tender jaw. Olivia could do nothing but whimper silently and press her head deeper into the pillow to alleviate some of the pressure.

Fury blinded Jergens as he already felt his eye swelling up. He forcefully shoved Olivia's hands behind her back, thus completely immobilizing her. Grabbing the top of her camisole in his hands, he'd only given it one violent jerk before the straps ripped and it easily slid of her shoulders, leaving her in nothing but a bra from the waist up.

Her eyes, previously closed, suddenly snapped open again at this. Looking into the perp's eyes, Olivia instantly knew what each of his past victims had felt. Looking into his eyes, she saw the coldness and the inner rage within him. Looking into the hatred of his eyes, she knew she couldn't give in. She'd allowed herself to be put in this position for one reason and one reason alone, to stop this bastard from ever raping another woman again. And she'd be damned if he'd rape someone again, especially her. _You're too strong for this,_ she urged herself._ You've never let a perp assault you like this before, why are you starting now?_ Her own voice screamed in her ear. _Fight him, damnit!_

But it was really feeling Jergens' hand fumbling around with the waistband of her pants that set Olivia off.

A shot of adrenaline spread throughout all of her limbs, kicking them back to life again. _You only got one chance Liv, make it good_.

Her arms adroitly slid out from behind her back and flew into the air. She swung her left hand first, and it easily met his cheekbone. Somehow, he'd still managed to keep a tight hold over her mouth, preventing her from calling for help, so she had to venture another punch. This time, she threw a right hook that caught him square of the bridge of his nose. An indescribable satisfaction filled her when Olivia clearly heard a cracking sound. When Jergens' hands flew up to his wounded nose, she seized her chance.

"_Elliot!"_ Olivia screamed as loud as her lungs allowed, instantly hurting her unused voice. Just as she was about to try again, Jergens pounced again. He flung himself on top of her, recovering her mouth with his entire arm this time.

"_Shut up!"_ He screeched back, almost insane with ire at this point. His fist shot out and this time it grazed her eye. Jergens was about to throw another punch when he felt someone grab the back of his shirt and jerk him up from the bed.

--X--x--X--

"How in the hell did we miss him?" Fin huffed breathlessly as he ran up the apartment stairs with Munch by his side. Seeing Olivia with a serial rapist on top of her had thrown out their petty little argument as they raced to save her, and Jergens. Elliot had taken off like a bullet and was probably already in Olivia's apartment. And the detectives knew him well enough to know that he would be beating the crap out of Jergens right now, and if no one interfered, he wouldn't stop until the he was dead.

"If you weren't screaming at me…" Munch retorted under his breath, not one to give up things so easily. A quick glare from Fin, however, and his grumbling faded out.

"I think we better haul ass before we have a dead perp on our hands." He quickly increased his gait with only one floor left to go. "C'mon gramps!" Tugging at his partner's shirt, Fin had to grin slightly when he heard him fire back his own insult.

All joking matters were quickly thrown aside in favor of "cop mode" as they finally arrived on Olivia's floor. They dashed up to find the front door violently kicked off its hinges. Both men cursed in unison as they saw it. Fin ran into the bedroom first with Munch close behind.

Even though the scene they arrived to had been what they were expecting, the sudden jolt of seeing it for real caught both of them off guard. Olivia was curled up on her bed, tear stains ran down her face as she frantically clutched a pillow over her chest. She was numb with shock as she watched her partner and Jergens.

Elliot had the still-masked Jergens pinned up against the wall as he was delivering blow to blow to his abdomen, causing him to fold forward like a rag doll. If he happened to fall, Elliot would simply grab him by the collar of his shirt, toss him back against the wall, and resume the beating.

John and Fin both watched this for a few minutes, and then John finally pointed to them and spoke. "You break that up, and I'll get Liv outta here." Fin's shout of dispute against the plan was suddenly lost in the background as the distinct sound of bone snapping resounded throughout the bedroom, quickly followed by a somewhat subdued scream from Jergens.

_Shit!_ As he and his partner ran in opposite directions, Fin cursed to himself. _Let's just hope that wasn't something fatal. Painful, hell yeah, because this guy deserves it, but hopefully not fatal._ As Fin charged Elliot, he knew the man had slipped of the cliff of reason quite awhile ago, and that only sheer force could stop him now. Summing up all his strength, he braced himself and continued his desperate sprint.

Within seconds, his shoulder collided against Elliot's. The power combined with the rapidity of the tackle easily swept Elliot off of his feet and threw him back into the bookcase to his side. Fin, however, was able to stop and catch his balance just in time to watch Jergens give a final defeated moan before crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

--X--x--X--

While Fin was trying to restore some sense of order to the room, John was hurrying over towards Olivia. The shredded tank top on the ground had caught his eye, so he quickly shed his jacket as well. Once he reached her, he spoke her name softly. "Liv?"

She still clutched the pillow tightly against her, like a shield, as she glanced up to look at John. He could see the tear stains on her cheeks and the unshed tears in her eyes that she was trying to desperately blink away.

A wave of guilt washed over Munch as he realized that he'd never seen Olivia cry in all the years that he'd known her. She had just always been… too strong for that. Before he could stop it, the question he'd been avoiding popped into his head. _How much had happened before Elliot broke it up?_ Shaking his head in an attempt to stifle the thought for the time being, he stretched out his arms and slung his blazer around her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Olivia instantly nodded and made a motion to stand up, reluctantly accepting the hand John offered her. Both detectives snuck a quick look back at the three men in the corner before walking out of the bedroom and into the living room. John was holding Olivia's arm to help steady her, since she was still slightly shaking. _After shock,_ John thought to himself.

Just as they cleared the doorway, the sound of footsteps and shouting caught their attentions. Within seconds, a group of armed cops swarmed into the room, led by Cragen. As the cops spread out and began checking the apartment according to code, the Captain caught sight of Munch and Olivia.

"What the hell happened?" He slightly shouted, obviously bewildered by the entire situation. It suddenly occurred to John that he, Fin, and Elliot had completely forgotten the part of that night's plan where they were supposed to contact Cragen before breaking up the stake-out.

"Uh, long… story?" Munch tried, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

Cragen merely glanced around with an air of helplessness about him, his stare eventually settling on Olivia. "Liv, are you all right?" His voice instantly softened to that of a concerned parent and he looked her up and down.

"Fine," she simply replied. In the short time since John had first seen her on the bed, all of her confidence seemed to have returned. Her head was held high, and she stood with her normal poised stature.

"Cap, we got him." Two cops emerged from the bedroom, each holding onto one of the unconscious Jergens' arms. Neither looked too concerned about his comfort as they dragged him along, letting his feet scrap along the floor and his head dangle forward like a rag doll.

"What happened to him?" Cragen asked, his bemused expression returning.

"I think he ran into a wall or something," One of the other guys chipped in jokingly. Between chuckles, the men quickly made their way out of the apartment with Jergens in tow.

"All right," Cragen sighed. "Then I guess we're done here." He turned to Olivia. "There's an ambulance outside. I want you to go get checked out." Olivia opened her mouth to argue, but Cragen held a hand up to stop her. "I don't want to hear it. _Go_."

As she snapped her mouth shut, pain shot through her jaw, bringing back the memory of the right hook Jergens had attacked her with. Slightly wincing, she realized that getting it checked out might not be such a bad idea. "Fine," she sighed. "I'm going." While she headed out into the hallway with John following closely behind, Cragen went into the bedroom.

Elliot was the first thing that caught his attention. He was propped up against a bookcase, breathing heavily with sweat dripping from his forehead. Fin was standing slightly over him, looking slightly worn out as well. It didn't take Cragen but a minute to figure out what he'd missed.

"Good job with Jergens," he remarked sarcastically. "Let's just hope we have a live person to prosecute."

"Cap," Elliot weakly started, getting up to his feet. "I can explain."

"Save it," he snapped, pointing a condemning finger at him. "I don't want to hear anything until we get back to the station house. Then you can tell me how you guys managed to screw this up." Giving them both a final irate glare, he turned around and stormed out of the bedroom. Elliot and Fin exchanged weary glances before reluctantly following him.

--X--x--X--

"So," Cragen leaned up against one of the desks in the bullpen and looked at his squad. "Tell me how we all managed to mess up a plan that we spent all day trying to perfect." He gazed accusingly at the three men like a father glaring at his sons. All three pairs of eyes averted themselves in different directions, so that no one had to meet his stare.

Olivia, who was sitting at her desk, was the first to speak. "I was caught off guard," she confessed with guilt, clearing her throat. "I fell asleep, so I didn't see him come in. I was too late to fight him off, so the guys had to step in."

Cragen slightly bit his lip and mulled over her words a moment before replying. "Olivia, while I appreciate your trying to protect your fellow detectives, I'm sure no one blames you. After all, you weren't the one who should have been monitoring the video feed from live surveillance cameras!" His voice rose in anger and he began pacing the room, his arms crossed across his chest. "These three were supposed to be your eyes and ears. And where the hell were the guards we placed outside during this? How did they not see this guy get into the building?"

"Because he was already there," Fin informed them as he stood up from his desk. "We checked the standard hallway cameras that were already set up. Jergens entered the building a few hours before the lab tech guys even showed up. Turns out, the day after his date with Liv, he introduced himself to a guy who lives two floors above Olivia's apartment building. He convinced the guy that his house was being fumigated and he needed a place to crash."

"So this guy opens his home to a complete stranger?" Cragen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I know why people do half the dumb-ass things they do?" He shrugged and crossed the room.

"All right, there's one down," the Captain sighed. "Now, how come no one jumped on the microphone to tell Olivia that Jergens had finally showed up?"

There was a long pause before John finally took it upon himself to answer. "Because we didn't know." They all looked guiltily away while Munch spoke. "We weren't watching the monitors. We had no idea until we heard Olivia… scream." He weakly coughed out the last word.

Knowing that the way the conversation was heading was probably the last thing Olivia wanted to go through right now, Cragen switched gears. "Speaking of which, how could you have not heard anything before that? I mean, he did stick to his MO and use his line, "Obey me or die," right?" She merely nodded in conformation. "All right, so how come the microphone didn't pick that up?"

Munch leaned back on his desk and shrugged. "Because he took the clip off and pocketed it. I assume he was taking it as some kind of souvenir or something."

The Captain simply nodded and allowed his gaze to travel the room. All of his detectives looked like they were only about a few minutes away from passing out from exhaustion. "All right, I think that's enough for tonight," he announced. "Everyone, go home, get some sleep. We can finish this up tomorrow." Without offering anymore of an explanation, Cragen walked into his office and shut the door behind him.

--X--x--X--

"Ow!" Olivia whimpered in pain as she ran her fingers over her jaw bone. It still hurt like hell, but the paramedics had assured her that it was just slightly bruised and swollen, and would be fine if she took it easy for a few days. As she lay in a bed in the semi-dark crib of the station house, she softly sighed as she thought back to the night's previous events.

When Cragen had finally given the orders to go home and sleep, it had been about six in the morning. Being that they'd have to come back to work in a few hours anyway, it was almost guaranteed that no one was going to actually listen and leave. Besides that, all the guys had about seven or eight cups of coffee coursing through their systems, so they certainly weren't going to sleep anytime soon.

Though Olivia lacked the coffee, she still had the adrenaline rush from fighting off Jergens that kept her wide awake. She'd only retired up to the crib because she couldn't take the tension in the squad room. Aside from asking if she was okay or if she had some file, none of the guys said a word to her. Elliot hadn't even _looked_ at her since they got back.

_It's because I screwed up_, she thought. _I was dumb. I fell asleep during a stake-out and put myself in danger. And then I managed to El, Munch, and Fin blamed for it. If I were them, I probably wouldn't talk to me either._ _I couldn't even fight the bastard off by myself. If Elliot hadn't of come in and pulled Jergens off of me when he did…_

"Ugg." Olivia let her thought fade off as she groaned powerlessly and flipped over on the bed so that she was now facing the door to the room. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to silence her thoughts and see if she could get at least a few minutes of sleep in.

Just as she was about to give up hope of ever falling to sleep, there was a knock on the door. "Liv?" A voice softly drifted into the room that she recognized right away.

"Elliot?" Olivia opened her eyes to see her partner standing in the doorway with a hesitant expression on his face.

"Oh, you're sleeping," he sheepishly pointed out. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll just talk to you later, sorry." Just as he was excusing himself from the room, Olivia sat up.

"El, wait." She rose to her feet and pulled the door back open. "I wasn't actually sleeping. I was just up here pretending to, so I could get Cragen off my back." She was relieved as she got a smile and chuckle out of Elliot. "So, did you want something?" Stepping back, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited for him to say something, anything.

"Uh…" His eyes darted around the room and avoided her gaze as he nervously began massaging the back of his neck with his hand. "I just…" Pursing his lips together, Elliot took a deep breath and decided to just blurt it out. "I'm sorry," he abruptly declared, finding Olivia somewhat off guard.

"What?" Thinking she'd heard wrong, her brows furrowed with incomprehension. Allowing her arms to drop to her sides, she subconsciously took a step towards her partner.

"I said I'm sorry," he repeated, this time more shamefully than the first. His gaze instantly dropped down to his feet, and Olivia knew there was no mistaking it this time.

"Sorry? For what?" Her confusion seemed to only increase with each passing second.

Now it was Elliot's turn to act as if _he'd_ heard wrong. "_'For what?'_" He asked incredulously. "Well… for not having your back out there tonight." His icy blue eyes locked directly onto Olivia's as he spoke. "Cragen was absolutely right back there." He carelessly motioned out into the hallway with a flick of his hand. "I should have been watching the monitors more closely, been on the mic to warn you." He shook his head ruefully, turning away again. "I shouldn't have let Munch and Fin's stupid argument distract me from watching out for my partner."

With his last sentence, something suddenly clicked for Olivia. "Wait…" She grasped his shoulder with her hand and gently pulled him back to face her. "Is that what's going on? None of you are talking to me because you feel _guilty_?" Elliot glanced at her cautiously, then hesitantly shrugged and nodded. "But it's not your fault," she stated bluntly, as if that fact was obvious. "I mean, we all knew what I was getting myself into by setting myself up for that. Why would you guys think it's your fault?" She searched his face for some hint of an answer.

"But I wasn't supposed to let it get that far," he blurted out. "I was supposed to warn you that he was coming so you could fight him off until we got up there to arrest him."

There was a pregnant pause between the two, until Olivia spoke again. "El…" She began softly. "That's really sweet and all, but did you really expect it to go like that? Face it, not one single undercover operation or stake-out we've _ever_ done has gone right. Our luck here, it's not that great. Having something go right for us would be like Munch agreeing with the government on something. It's never going to happen." She grinned as Elliot couldn't help but laugh and smile at her statement.

"All right, I suppose that's a pretty valid argument right there," he conceded before losing his smile and becoming serious. "But I still should have had your back."

"El," Olivia became seriously as well, and reached out to place her hand on his arm reassuringly. "You did. When you were beating the crap out of Jergens, I'd say you had my back covered pretty well," she smiled. "But…" She quickly added in a teasing voice. "If you still want to make it up to me, I know what you could do."

"Oh?" He grinned as well, folding his arms. "And what would that be?"

"Take me out to breakfast. I'm starving!" She exclaimed.

"All right," he nodded, "I think I could do that. So, where ya wanna go?" Elliot opened the door, ushering Olivia into the hallway.

"Thanks." They stepped out into the hall and started walking towards the elevator, side by side. "Um, I don't care. You pick."

"Oh, I know this great little restaurant a few streets over, down by that designer shoe store." Elliot pointed in the general direction of the place with his finger.

"You mean Al's Pancake World?" Olivia clarified for him. "Sounds great." As the elevator doors opened and they stepped down onto the first floor, she suddenly got an idea. "Hey, bet I can beat you to the car," she challenged with a wink.

"Excuse me? You want _me,_ to _race_ you to the car, like a couple of little kids?" He raised his eyebrow dubiously at her.

"And why not? Afraid I'll beat ya?" She grinned and playfully pushed his shoulder.

"That's it," he declared with a chuckle. "You're on!" And with that, he was off, dashing down the unusually empty hallway.

"Hey! Cheater!" She called with a laugh, taking off after him in a sprint.

--X--x--X--

Okay, so, I just wanted to give it a cute ending, whether it be occ or not. XD So you don't have to call me on that. :P Also, I think my internet is going to be shut off in a couple days, and I wanted to get this up before then. But don't think that means I don't want reviews! Meh hearts my reviewers! XD

(And all the story ideas everyone gave me were excellent! Phew, now I just have to decide which one to use. XD But feel free to throw anymore you got at me!)


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